Robert's Search
by Chiefie
Summary: Completed! Robert wins a radio contest to take a trip anywhere in the world, and heads to a foreign land to try to recover what he's lost (part 3 of the Robert series).
1. December Dreams

Robert's Search  
  
Part 3 of the Robert Series  
  
By Chief  
  
Rated PG for some very mild language and suggestive dialogue in later chapters.  
  
1  
  
December Dreams  
  
Hi. For those of you who are curious, my name is Robert.  
  
And Christmas Day had now arrived.  
  
It has been slightly over a year since I last wrote; I turned twelve a month ago. It's the sixth grade now. I must have just felt like there was no new story to tell at that time. Life simply seemed to pass us by. The Sun rose, the Sun fell, nothing huge ever seemed to happen.  
  
Yet it was Christmas Day, the one day of the year where "magic" is supposed to occur in the hearts of all the little children. Christmas might have been my favorite day of the year, if it wasn't for my parents.  
  
As any normal child would, I rushed downstairs with full excitement, just wondering about what kind of gifts I was going to get. Overall, they really weren't all that terrible. My parents gave me a couple of new sweaters, and even a new game for my computer (none of these were wrapped, of course). These were all things I actually enjoyed, but that wasn't what bothered me on this day more special than any other. It happened to be the fact that my parents, who spend almost all of their time working at Hillwood General Hospital, still treated Christmas like any other day.  
  
"Hey, Robert. Like your presents?"  
  
"Yeah, dad, they're really great. I can't wait to---"  
  
"Well, that's great, son," my dad rudely interrupted. "Got to go to work now. Surgery in an hour!" With that, he quickly stormed out the door, followed by my mother, who uttered nothing but a "have fun" and followed with much haste. So on Christmas, this fabulous day above all others, I still stood alone.  
  
After a couple of hours of loafing around (and attempting to find anything decent on TV), I finally went up to my room. My room never was that interesting; just contained a dresser, bed, computer, and a couple of other odds and ends. I came in, and went over to my dresser. I opened up my dresser to pull out a small photograph. I know it wasn't much, but it had the only real picture of her I had. The picture was of the fifth-grade class's performance of Perils of the Planet. I knew the picture so well then, I didn't have to hesitate to look to the top-right corner at it, where Amy stood.  
  
I really couldn't say what was wrong with me, because I really didn't know myself. Amy left for Auckland over a year ago, and yet, like some sad little puppy, I still was swooning over her picture like I would have if she were still here. I knew I probably would never see her again, but I didn't appear to care. I also apparently didn't care that I had Rhonda Lloyd, someone who really did care for me, waiting at the wings. Amy just had some quality about her, something so enigmatic I couldn't bear to imagine how I had lived this past year without her.  
  
Rhonda hadn't helped the cause of her leaving, either. Ever since Amy's sudden departure, Rhonda has accomplished nothing but following around. Even though part of me liked Rhonda (I guess it always would from my fourth- grade days), I didn't want to get in any relationship with her. All I still could dream about was Amy.  
  
So now, feeling as lonely and depressed, I called Helga, my typical response to such emotions. Helga always seemed like kind of a good person to lean on, and even though she wasn't so great at giving advice, she still stood as a great person to back you up. Plus, a thick layer of snow still covered the ground from the storm a few days ago, and I thought she would want to go sledding.  
  
Of course, as time passes, aspects of life changed. As always, Helga and Sid were still my best friends, but I had become closer to Arnold, as well. Maybe it was the good nature we both shared, or maybe it was our intelligence; slightly above average, but not much further than that. Arnold and I have just somehow have clicked since the past incident. However, Helga didn't seem to care in the least, since this opened up all kinds of opportunities for Arnold and herself.  
  
Anyway, I picked up my phone and dialed her number. A gruff voice picked up on the other side.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Hi, Mr. Pataki. It's Robert. Is Helga home?"  
  
"The girl? Oh, yeah, yeah, just a second," I heard Helga's dad, Big Bob, yell up to her upstairs. "Hey, Olga! Your friend Rupert's on the phone!"  
  
"It's Helga, dad, Helga. And his name, is Robert, not Rupert." Helga then picked up the phone. "Hey, Robbie. You having a good Christmas?"  
  
"Okay, I guess. My parents had another one of their surgeries this morning, so they kind of gave me some presents and ditched." "Yeah, that's gotta suck being there alone," replied Helga. "Believe me, though, things are just as horrible here. Big Bob and Miriam, with such an amazing ability in knowing what I want for Christmas, bought me a dollhouse. A dollhouse! Crimeny, Robbie, I mean I'm almost twelve! I'm not five anymore."  
  
"At least you aren't spending Christmas alone," I replied, but quickly changed the subject. "Hey, do you want to go sledding with me? I can meet you at the hill."  
  
Helga sighed. "Sorry, bud. On top of everything else my parents torture me with, they drug the now Mrs. Perfect, Olga and her new husband, Max Christenberg, some Harvard lawyer chump. Man, I never thought anyone could come close to irritating me as much as Olga, but Max has taken the cake. He's even worse than Lila. He just spends all of his time talking about how wonderful Olga is."  
  
"I see," was my only response. I still was trying to figure out what the point of that actual conversation could be. Thankfully, she got to it.  
  
"Anyway, this Max guy, in one of his grand schemes, has cooked this huge dinner and we're going to tell stories and sing carols and the rest of the corny Christmassy stuff. I'm going to be stuck here all day. Thanks for the invite, though."  
  
"It's all right," I told her. "I wish you good luck, it sounds like you'll need it."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Merry Christmas, Helga."  
  
"Merry Christmas, Robbie." I hung up the phone then, and tried to think if any of my other friends were busy today. Sid? Yeah, Sid was at his grandma's house today. Arnold? Arnold was busy, too. Every year him and his "family" at the boarding house have a big feast and celebration.  
  
"Looks like I'll just hang here," as I loaded up my computer and turned on the radio. At first I just heard the typical Christmas carols I typically hear on Christmas Day, with no real DJs or anyone there watching it. Surprisingly, about thirty minutes after I started listening, a voice came on the air. A voice that would give me a life changing experience.  
  
"Hey, there, boys and girls, you're listening to Noel Ned on KMAS, the only place for all you naughty and nice people to come together," said Ned, in some kind of jolly manner. Ned and been he host of about twelve different formats in the past two years. He continued anyway.  
  
"Well, as a Christmas gift to one lucky person from us at KMAS, we're offering a surprise contest. Yes, that's right. We are giving one person, and five of their friends and family, a chance to go to any city in the world for five days and four nights. That's right, any city. This contest is open to any age and any person. We'll pay for airfare, hotel, and even five hundred bucks for each of you. You just got to be the first caller to tell me the right answer to my question: what was the very first restaurant to open here in beautiful Hillwood City? First caller with the answer gets a vacation. Merry Christmas."  
  
As soon as Ned stated the question, I picked up the phone and pressed the speed dial button for the radio station (I always try to win these contest, but never do). Since I've lived here all of my life, so I knew a good bit about the city. I was pretty sure it was Slausen's Ice Cream. Even before they sold ice cream, it was a diner. It had been here forever, thanks to some innovations. It had to be it.  
  
Much to my surprise, I actually heard ringing on the other line, and a voice picked up. "Hey, this is Noel Ned, and you are our first caller! You are on the air."  
  
"All right!" I said with some excitement, probably a little too much.  
  
"Okay," he said with a pause. "Now do you know the answer to the question? What's the oldest eating joint in Hillwood?"  
  
"That has to be Slausen's Ice Cream," I stated with a good bit of confidence behind me.  
  
"Well, actually, it's---no you're right!" I couldn't help it. I started screaming and jumping on my bed. It was the most ecstatic moment of my life.  
  
"Now what's your name, guy?"  
  
"My name?" I paused to remember it. "Oh, my name is Robert."  
  
"Well, Robert, you are the winner of our Christmas Surprise contest! You and five friends are going anywhere you want to go!" Of course, more excitement came from that. "Now where do you wanna go?"  
  
I had forgotten about that. There were so many places in my head, but one place especially came to mind.  
  
"Auckland, New Zealand."  
  
"Well, Robert, you are going to New Zealand! Congratulations!"  
  
I stayed on the line for a minute while he jotted down all of my personal information and my parents names and numbers (an adult had to go), and in between dropping his donut a few times, Ned got the job done.  
  
"By the way," I asked him. "When can I leave for Auckland?"  
  
"In as early as a week."  
  
It was unbelievable. Other than the sonnet I wrote for Rhonda in the fourth grade, I haven't won anything in my life. Now I was getting to head to Auckland, where Amy would be waiting for me. All I had to do was find her. That couldn't be that hard. I mean, there can't be that big of a city on such a small group of islands (at least I thought).  
  
At the time, though, that was the least of my worries. I was hoping by this time next week I would have nice vacation in Auckland. I didn't see any problems with leaving; school didn't resume until mid-January. I finally got a true Christmas present.  
  
Maybe dreaming in December isn't all that bad.  
  
  
  
Note: And there you have it. Robert's Search has begun. I hope you liked it, and be sure to send me plenty of reviews! 


	2. Getting Organized

2  
  
Getting Organized  
  
Note: Forgot to post this earlier, but all of the Hey Arnold! things, are of course, trademarks of their respected owners, so I do not own them.  
  
This truly was a moment of joy. Despite the fact that the rest of my Christmas could have been better, I received one of the greatest presents ever: a chance for me and all of my friends to travel to New Zealand for a five-day vacation. Now came the hard part, however. I had to decide who was going to head with me.  
  
After winning the contest, I was so excited that I ran over to Arnold's house. Don't ask me why; I just felt like telling him, and probably invite him along on the trip with me. It seemed like good enough of a reason to infringe on his Christmas party, and I didn't really feel like calling Helga again after I just talked to her a short while ago.  
  
As soon as I threw on enough clothing to keep me warm in the blistery cold weather, I ran out the door to head for the Sunset Arms Boarding House (better known as Arnold's house). I had to run a couple of blocks to get there, but at the time I was so overwhelmed I didn't even seem to mind jogging through the snow.  
  
In total, it took me about ten minutes to be on Arnold's doorstop, knocking on the front door. Lucky enough for me, Arnold answered it.  
  
"Hi, Arnold," I said kind of shyly, since I knew he wasn't expecting me in such a situation.  
  
"Um, hi Robert. What's up?"  
  
Growing older changes numerous people, but Arnold was still the same Arnold I had known for most of my life. Sure he had changed a little bit fashion wise; he had started wearing striped polo shirts and other preppy outfits like that, don't ask me why. Thankfully, he hadn't started to act like any sort of a snob. Ever since he supposedly "saved" the life of the eccentric billionaire Sammy Redman, the guy had bought Arnold clothes for school whenever he wanted them. Despite all the clothing, though, he still acted like the same intelligent, considerate, Arnold I had always known.  
  
"Well, would you like to come in?" He asked me.  
  
"Sure, thanks. I really wasn't going to come by today, but something really awesome happened today, and I just had to tell you about it."  
  
I walked inside Arnold's house, and immediately was engulfed in the true feeling of Christmas. All of the boarders at the boarding house were in the living room, telling stories and drinking hot cocoa. I had been over to Arnold's house numerous times in the past year, but this was one of the sporadic times were everyone was enjoying each other's company. I even saw a young Vietnamese woman, who I assumed was Mr. Hyunn's daughter.  
  
"Hey, there, Robert," Arnold's grandpa said to me as Arnold led me into the holiday spirit in which these people had created. Arnold had a pretty amazing family, even though it could be considered, at the least, weird. Grandpa was probably in the best shape of all of them, and he was in his eighties.  
  
All of the boarders gave me a customary greeting (even Oscar, who usually just whines), and Mr. Hyunn introduced me to Mai, who was in fact his daughter.  
  
"So, Robert, what exactly was so important that you had to run down here to tell me?" Arnold asked me as he offered me a seat on a recliner.  
  
I went ahead in told Arnold all about how I had heard the surprise announcement over the radio, and someway or another, won and had the opportunity to vacation in New Zealand.  
  
"So what do you think?" I asked him when I finally finished telling my extensive story.  
  
"Wow, Robert, that's awesome. I can't believe you get to go to New Zealand. Do you know it's actually summer there?" Apparently I had no clue on the matter, so he continued. "Yeah, it's true. Since it's on the opposite hemisphere, it's always the exact opposite season from what it is here in Hillwood. It's so cool you'd get to spend part of your Christmas break hanging out on a beach." I didn't know Auckland had a beach, either.  
  
"Hey, apparently you know a ton of stuff about New Zealand, why don't you go with me? I still have all of my other five spots open."  
  
Arnold's entire football-shaped head beamed in utter excitement. "You'd really want to take me with you?"  
  
"Sure, I mean, I was planning on taking four friends and an adult with me, and since you're one of my best friends, why don't you just come with me. I'm planning on leaving New Year's Day, and they're not even going to count the plane ride as a day of the trip. I heard the plane ride takes forever."  
  
"It takes eighteen hours from Vietnam to get here," Mr. Hyunn added in his mixed (and barely understandable) accent. "So it would be at least twenty hours on a plane." Being on aircraft that long bothered me, but sure wasn't going to stop me from going on my vacation.  
  
"So, who else are you gonna take?" Ernie, another one of Arnold's boarders, asked me.  
  
"Well, I'm pretty sure I'm bringing along Arnold, Sid, and Helga---"  
  
"Wait," Arnold said. "You mean that I'm going to have to spend twenty hours on a plane with Helga, listening to her antagonize me? I mean, she's gotten better than she used to be, but twenty hours is a long time, Robert."  
  
"Yeah, I know, Arnold, but she's my friend, too, and I would like her to come along, too."  
  
"Okay, if you insist." Arnold told me. I'm sure that by the time we arrived in Auckland, Arnold and Helga would probably get along better than when we left. After all, I didn't see why Helga acted so spiteful to him. Considering her true feelings for him, one would think that she would actually try to be nice to the poor boy. Maybe this trip could be as big an opportunity for her as it was for me.  
  
I don't know why, but once Arnold had invited me into his comfortable home, I didn't want to leave. I ended up staying there for three whole hours, listening to everyone's different stories of Christmases past, and playing games with them. Something about just being in that house made me feel like I was experiencing the greatest Christmas ever. I knew Arnold's boarders hardly got along as well as they did that afternoon, but there just seemed to be some magic about Christmas that made everyone come together and enjoy each other's company. It was incredible.  
  
Finally, about four-thirty, I said good-bye to Arnold and the boarders and headed home. It wouldn't be a good thing if my parents came home early and I was gone, leaving them no knowledge of my whereabouts.  
  
My parents didn't actually get home for about another hour and half (although that still was an early arrival for them), so I spent that time watching the sunset from my window and telling Helga all about winning the contest. She might have been even more excited than me, knowing that Arnold would be joining us on our expedition. Sid lived a couple of doors down from her, so she would talk to him when he got home later that evening and call me then.  
  
Despite all of this good information, I still had one major problem with my trip, and that was finding a suitable adult to accompany my friends and I on my trip. I, of course, tried my parents first.  
  
"I'm sorry, Robert. We know that you want to go on this vacation, being Christmas and all, there's just no way your mother or myself can take a week off on such short notice."  
  
"But, it's to New Zealand, and---"  
  
"We're sorry, son. There's just no way to do it." Considering the circumstances, I came up with a fairly good idea.  
  
"Well, what if we find a suitable adult to take with us on the trip? Will you let me go then?"  
  
My mother sighed, but finally responded. "We suppose so, dear, just as long as it is someone that we know well and that we can trust with your safety."  
  
I nearly fell out of my chair with the announcement of this. It looks like I still had a shot at taking this trip after all.  
  
Sid finally arrived at home an hour later, and Helga called me shortly after and began telling me his response.  
  
"He sounded pretty excited, Robbie," she was telling me over the phone. "He really wants to go, but just like your parents, his parents want to make sure they know who the adult taking us is going to be."  
  
"And your parents don't care?"  
  
"You mean Bob and Miriam? They probably won't even notice I'm gone. They'll be to busy worshiping Olga and Max," she said sarcastically.  
  
"This is getting to be a little of a problem, though," I told Helga. "We really do have to find some kind of parent that will be able to, and enjoy, a vacation with a bunch of sixth-graders in New Zealand."  
  
"Wait, I think I have it, Robbie."  
  
"Have what?"  
  
"The perfect person that will want to take us on our trip. Meet me at my house in half in hour, and we'll head over to their house."  
  
I still had no real idea who she was speaking of, but I found myself layered in clothing again, and walking out the door.  
  
When I arrived at Helga's house, she quickly led the way to the house of our supposed chaperone for our vacation. It was getting later, so we hurried to a small house a couple of blocks away, a house I hadn't been to in nearly two years.  
  
"Well, Robbie, here we are," she told me as we approached the front door to the household.  
  
"Um, Helga, you do know we're at Mr. Simmons' house."  
  
"Of course! Granola Boy is the perfect person to go with us on the trip. He loves kids, and has been our teacher since fourth grade. Plus, he's got that whole week off, as well, so he really wouldn't miss any work."  
  
"Good point," I said softly, and knocked on the front door of the home, which was answered quickly be the middle-aged, overfriendly, teacher we knew as Mr. Simmons.  
  
"Helga? Robert? What are you two doing here this evening, especially at Christmas."  
  
I mostly let Helga do the talking, which was probably better, since she got straight to the point. "Well, Simmons, Robert here has won a free vacation to Auckland, New Zealand, starting next week, for five days. And that's not including the plane trip."  
  
"Wow, Robert, you must feel very special---"  
  
"Hold on, Simmons, I'm not through," Helga continued. "You see, Robert parents are always busy with work, so we want you to be our chaperone for me, Arnold, and Robbie here. There's also one more person we're taking along, we just don't know who yet." Helga filled Mr. Simmons in with all the details that were necessary for the trip, as well as anything else he wanted to know.  
  
"First of all, I am very pleased that you to would give me the special honor of going on this trip with you, and for that reason only, I will go with you students to Auckland. I will have to miss a couple of staff meetings, but I think it would be worth making you two happy on this holiday."  
  
Helga and myself were practically hugging Mr. Simmons' feet at this point. We finally had someone to accompany us on the trip. Of course, I had to find another kid, but that wouldn't be too hard.  
  
I hastily gave Mr. Simmons my parents' phone numbers (he didn't have it at home), so he could call and discuss the matter with them. We also gave him Sid's number, so he could contact his parents, as well. With that we said goodnight.  
  
"Thank you so much, Mr. Simmons, and merry Christmas," I said joyfully, shaking the man's hand.  
  
"Merry Christmas to you guys, too."  
  
Helga and me went our separate ways shortly after that. This trip was going to be a revolution for the both of us; it gave Helga a chance to be nice to Arnold, and it gave me a chance to find Amy, the one I really loved. Even though the following incident nearly made me change my mind.  
  
As I was nearing my house, I ran into a surprising person, sitting outside of her house.  
  
"Rhonda?"  
  
"Hi, Robert," she said softly. Rhonda had been acting a little bit depressed lately. I had barely heard her mention fashion, money, or popularity (three things she really loved) in a number of weeks.  
  
"You having a nice Christmas?" I asked her.  
  
"Yeah, I suppose it went pretty well. I got plenty of presents, if that's what you mean."  
  
"I guess so," I said, not really sure of what else to say. "I probably should be heading home, it's getting awfully cold. Nice seeing you, though."  
  
"You too, Robert."  
  
I had walked away from Rhonda's house and turned the corner to my street, but I started hearing her say something. I guess in some kind of curiosity, I stopped to listen.  
  
"I don't want any of these things for Christmas," she was saying. "I could care less about the money, and the clothes, and the jewelry. All I want is you, Robert." She whispered the last part, so soft I barely could make it out.  
  
At first I thought she was pretty pathetic, and maybe most of the time I would have felt sorry for her, but only one thing was on my mind that Christmas Day as I crawled into bed to acquire some sleep: meeting Amy again.  
  
Christmas may have ended, but my search had begun. 


	3. The Longest Beginning

3  
  
The Longest Beginning  
  
Slowly, yet systemically, the days ticked by until my vacation began. As the departure time grew, so did my anticipation. I was planning on having one of the greatest experiences of my life.  
  
Finally, Tuesday, January 1st came. It was the beginning of a new year, and a chance for a new beginning. I always loved New Year's Day, it was like starting with a clean slate; everything from the past year was erased in some miraculous moment. More importantly that that, this was the beginning of my trip, or as I preferred to call it, my journey.  
  
"Robert! It's time to get up! You don't want to miss your flight!"  
  
I looked over at my clock, and it showed eight o'clock. I was leaving on my flight in five hours, and I still had to finish packing. I guess I just put it off over the duration of the week, spending most of my time thinking of how great the trip was going to be.  
  
It took me about half an hours to strategically place all of my varied clothing items, along with everything else I needed, into a medium- sized black suitcase. It wasn't easy, but I got it done.  
  
I quickly took a shower (something that's always necessary before going on a long plane trip), and ran downstairs. I devoured a bowl of cereal as hastily as I could. I was supposed to be over at Mr. Simmons house at ten-thirty, and oversleeping sure didn't help my cause.  
  
"Robert, we just want you to know that we're really going to miss you while you're gone," my father told me as he hugged me and passed me along.  
  
"We don't know how we're going to survive without you."  
  
Although I was thinking several sarcastic remarks in my head, I went ahead and let my parents have their little sappy moment.  
  
"Just have fun, Robert," my mother told me as she kissed me on the cheek and headed out the door.  
  
I ran outside, approaching the beginning of this new day (and new year), with nothing but a vibrant expression on my face. I mean, why wouldn't I be ecstatic? I won a vacation to Auckland, New Zealand, a place where I can see Amy, my love again.  
  
I couldn't wait for the moment.  
  
I passed Rhonda's house on the way, and for the first time since early Christmas break, she wasn't moping around on her stoop, as if she was waiting for someone (more than likely me). This time, it looked like no one even lived there. I know Rhonda wasn't going anywhere this break, otherwise she would have been bragging about it all over school. At the time it seemed like no big deal, so I just shirked the memory to the back of my mind and kept my steady pace to Mr. Simmons' house.  
  
Sid's house also stood between my house and the destination, and he was running out the door right when I was walking past.  
  
"Sid, honey! Don't forget your extra deodorant!"  
  
"Okay, mom," Sid sighed and ran up to collect his needed deodorizer, and ran back to me.  
  
"Hey, Sid. You ready to go?" I asked him as we were commencing our walk.  
  
"Yeah, I suppose so. My mom made me pack nearly everything in my whole freaking room. I mean, I'm only going away for a week."  
  
"True, but it's always good to smell nice."  
  
"Of course," Sid told me. "You never know what kind of ladies are going to be over there." Sid was the self-proclaimed ladies man of our school, and despite the fact that almost every girl he talks to ignores him completely, he's still convinced that he could get Johnny Stitches' new "It Girl" if he tried.  
  
"Calm down, man. First we gotta get over to the airport."  
  
"You're right, Rob. Let's get going."  
  
We pretty much the rest of the journey over to Mr. Simmons' house with no real interruption (which was probably the best thing since we were pressed for time). We arrived there shortly after, with Mr. Simmons' small Honda packed completely with luggage. We'd forgotten about how that car was going to hold all of us.  
  
"Hey, Robert," Arnold waved at me as he walked up. "You about ready to go?"  
  
"I suppose so. Is everyone else here?"  
  
"No, we still haven't heard from Helga. We'll try to stop by her house on the way. She could be running late."  
  
Just then another person walked up to me and shook my hand.  
  
"Hi, Robert. It was just ever so nice of you to invite me to go to New Zealand with you. I'm sure I'll have a wonderful time."  
  
I guess the truth had to come out sooner or later. Within the past week, I called all of remotest of friends to try to find the last person to go with us. Stinky had a trip to Arkansas planned, Harold's parents didn't trust him being that far away, and Gerald had to baby-sit Timberley, his little sitter, while his parents and brother worked during the daytime. Even Phoebe had something going on (some kind of religious thing), so I really hade no other choice. I went to Arnold to ask his opinion (a bad idea in the first place), and he suggested Lila. Before I could say no he was already dialing her phone number.  
  
I didn't really know what Arnold saw in Lila. Even though Lila had the looks, she really had nothing else. She had no real personality, some of the worst jokes I had ever heard, and she didn't even like Arnold as anything more than a friend. It seemed obvious to me Helga liked him so much more. I might have been better off not bringing anyone in that spot.  
  
"Well, Lila, I'm glad you're coming," I said, hiding the fact that I really wanted to stab myself repeatedly.  
  
"All right, dudes!" Mr. Simmons called us over to his car. "Is that what you guys say now, dudes?"  
  
"Close enough," Sid told him as we all crammed uncomfortably into his still vehicle and made our way to Helga's place. Thankfully, her house was, for the most part, on the way to the airport. It wasn't like we would be going far out of our way. Plus, we'd see her if she was walking towards Mr. Simmons' house.  
  
Unfortunately, we didn't discover her in the car ride over, which led me to be knocking on Helga's front door ten minutes later.  
  
"Yes?" inquired some unrecognizable voice from inside the house.  
  
"Hello, is Helga here?" I asked as he opened the door.  
  
"Oh, you must be Robert," the man said. "My name is Max Christenberg, Olga's husband. It is so especially wonderful---"  
  
"Yeah, nice to meet you, too," I interrupted, simply to get to the point. I saw Helga carrying down a large suitcase with Olga chasing her.  
  
"Please don't go, baby sister! You're going to miss so much fun!"  
  
"I'm leaving, Olga," Helga said forcefully. "Now get your paws off my bag so I can get out of here! Bye, Max." Helga stormed out the door and climbed into the car, holding her luggage in her lap. After all, there really wasn't any other place to put it.  
  
"Go ahead and step on it, Simmons," Helga told her teacher. I made sure to get into the car before they forgot me.  
  
"Well, we're all nice and cozy, aren't we," Mr. Simmons said. "I believe this is going to be a very special trip for all of us; all we have to do is---"  
  
"Wait. Robbie, why is Lila here?"  
  
"I'm talk to you about it later Helga," I mumbled, barely loud enough for even her to hear. "Let's just get to the airport."  
  
The airport might have been the busiest place I had ever seen. Thousands of people crowded the terminals, most of them likely returning from trips across the country, visiting relatives and everyone else for the holidays. We were one of the only groups leaving, but there still somehow seemed to be plenty of people on our plane.  
  
You usually see in the movies all these kind of problems with trying to get onto an airplane, but we had no enormous problems with our trip. For once, everyone packed smartly, and we smoothly boarded the airplane.  
  
I looked down at my plane ticket, currently in my hand: Flight 140: Hillwood to Tokyo. From there we would be getting on ANOTHER plane (how exciting) and traveling to Auckland from there.  
  
Before we did anything, though, we would have to survive the eternity that the plane ride to Tokyo would be.  
  
We had all four of the middle seats on the plane, so Helga, me, Sid, and Arnold (in that order), sat there, giving Mr. Simmons and Lila the seats closer to the windows. The announcements came from the captain, telling you to buckle your seat belts and enjoy the flight, and I heard the plane starting.  
  
This was my first actual time in an airplane, so you could say I was a little on the nervous side. Especially since I would be riding on this plane for almost a full day.  
  
"Okay, so now will you tell me your logic behind taking Lila on this trip?" Helga asked me as we now began to go into the air."  
  
"Yeah," Sid added. "I can barely stand her, and I know you can't, Robert. So why bring her?"  
  
I quickly told them the story about how she was the only person I could find, but then added a little bit to that.  
  
"You see, I think one of the reasons Arnold likes Lila so much is he hasn't really gotten to spend all that much time with her. It is my opinion that if we get Arnold to be around Lila for an entire week, he may start to realize what kind of person she really is. I mean, other than a pretty face, she's nothing, and sooner or later Arnold's going to have to see that."  
  
"Yeah, Robbie," Helga replied. "Your plan just seems to be working wonderfully now."  
  
I looked over at Arnold, and he was bent across the aisle, giving Lila some of his peanuts the flight attendant gave him.  
  
"Thank you Arnold, you are just ever so sweet," Lila was telling him.  
  
"Don't worry," I told Helga and Sid. "This only is the beginning of the trip. Things can change over time."  
  
(Five hours later)  
  
"So, Robert, I've got another question to ask you."  
  
"Yeah, Sid?"  
  
We'd been in the air for quite some time now, and I guess we were trying to come up with any form of conversation possible. There really wasn't any scenery to watch from below, since the only thing below us was the vast Pacific Ocean.  
  
"Why exactly are you trying to find this Amy chick, anyway?" Sid was asking me. "I mean, boy howdy, you already have a girl that not only is pretty hot, but she likes you! This whole idea of going around the world to find someone in another country is nearly impossible."  
  
I sighed briefly. This whole plane ride so far had basically been an interrogation of me. I was just hoping sometime they would run out of questions.  
  
"Okay," I started. "You know you've asked me this about twenty thousand times since Amy moved away, and I've told you the same thing each time. I like her. I feel like she is the perfect person for me. She's beautiful, smart, and funny. She's everything."  
  
"But you barely even know her! You never went on a date with her; you never spent more than ten minutes with her alone! You don't know what she's really like."  
  
"I don't care," I ignorantly replied. "I'm going to get Amy to like me if it's the last thing I do."  
  
"Ooh, I think I'm going to be sick," Sid said.  
  
(Another three hours later)  
  
"Okay, let's do it again! I will prevail, we will prevail! We'll---"  
  
Man, I thought math class was torture.  
  
Mr. Simmons had taken it upon himself to lead us in his favorite disco song, much to the dismay of everyone else.  
  
"You know, I'm thinking about throwing Granola Boy out the window," Helga told me.  
  
"Well, at least it's almost bedtime, even though it's probably not all that later time-wise. The time zones keep on changing. It'll be around five o'clock New Zealand time when we get to Auckland."  
  
"Geez, Robbie, how much research did you do on this place?"  
  
"Well, I got bored, you know, so I went online and saw what all the weather and stuff was like there. They had their time posted, too."  
  
"Is Sid back yet?"  
  
"No."  
  
The airplane ride wasn't going too well for Sid. He had spent the last two hours running back in forth to the bathroom with his little throw- up bag. I'm sure you can assume from that what he was doing.  
  
(Sigh, another three hours later)  
  
Everyone had been on the plane for quite some time now. Almost everyone around me was now sleeping, and I was starting to get that way. Even Mr. Simmons was sawing some logs. Sid finally got over his airsickness, and fell asleep in his chair, too.  
  
I looked at my watch, which I still hadn't changed the time. We'd been on the plane for a good eight and a half hours, and it still would be a good eight or nine hours until we stopped in Tokyo. "Oh, well, might as well try to sleep, too," I said to myself, and lied back in my chair, very quickly joining the sleeping bodies around me.  
  
I woke up at five-thirty the next "morning" to the voice of Helga. "Hey, Robbie! The captain said we'll be landing in Tokyo in half an hour." "Well, it's about time. We've been on this plane close to forever." "How would you know, you slept half the way here!" Helga yelled. "Apparently you're the only one who actually found your seat comfortable to sleep a good eight hours."  
  
"Actually, you missed some of the fun," Sid told me. "About an hour or so ago, me and Helga were betting on how close we could throw our peanuts into Mr. Simmons' mouth." I looked over at our teacher, who was now awake, somehow still as peppy as he always was.  
  
"Oh, this is going to be so very special!" Exclaimed the ever-jovial Mr. Simmons. "Just think, in a matter of hours we're going to be in Auckland, New Zealand! I think we actually had a student from there at one time." Apparently the long ride had made Mr. Simmons a little bit slow on the uptake.  
  
I heard the pilot say we would begin landing soon, and I beamed with excitement. We finally would get to step off this torture chamber.  
  
Arnold had acted pretty much the way I expected him to. He spent most of his time trying to start small talk with Lila, who answered him in the most annoying fashion. I swear if I head the words "ever so" one more time, I was likely to pull all of my hair out. Hopefully Arnold would get burned out on her sometime soon.  
  
Stopping in Tokyo wasn't exactly as cool of an experience as I thought it would be. We only got off the plane for about ten minutes, where in which Sid went around commenting on how short Japanese people were, and Mr. Simmons tried to give us a lesson on Japanese history, to miniscule success.  
  
I could barely even see anything of what one of the world's greatest cities was, since I barely had any walking room. I had never been in so crowded of a place before. People literally packed the terminal. We were all relieved to actually get back on the airplane.  
  
Everyone was fairly quiet the remaining four hours to Auckland. I guess we all were so exhausted to get there, nothing else mattered. We all just sit there, watching the in-flight movie.  
  
At the time we were arriving in Auckland my mind was overwhelmed with thoughts. Maybe Sid was right; maybe this whole trip would just be a waste of my time. I may never find Amy on this trip, but I sure was going to try. At the time this meant everything to me, more even than that sonnet I wrote in the fourth grade. The time was no longer the time to just sit in the back seat watching life pass me by.  
  
This was the time love couldn't be clandestine anymore.  
  
  
  
Note: I realize many are probably questioning my sanity at the moment, but just be sure to keep reading. You never know what can happen. 


	4. New Zealand Sunsets

4  
  
New Zealand Sunsets  
  
"Man, I can't believe we're finally off that plane. That was the longest freaking day of my life."  
  
I changed my watch to read five o'clock, New Zealand time. We had finally arrived in Auckland, and you can say that Helga could have been somewhat moody.  
  
"Get out of the way, retard," she snapped at Arnold, pushing herself out into the openness of Auckland International Airport. The airport had enormous amounts of people in it, and although Tokyo had about twenty times the population of this airport, it still would make claustrophobics nervous.  
  
Helga, in her beautiful mood, had simply stooped below the typical name-callings of "Football Head" and "geek bait", but now she had stooped to the level of "retard".  
  
"Helga, why don't you just calm down? We're here now."  
  
"I don't have to calm down, Robert! I'm through calming down!" She let out a loud sigh. "All I desire at this moment is to go to this hotel and get some sleep."  
  
We all packed all of our stuff onto a charter bus. Shortly after that, we arrived at the rental car place to pick up our automobile, a brand new Land Rover.  
  
"Boy, howdy. This is quite the vehicle," Sid said as Mr. Simmons slowly began to drive to our temporary home, the Carlton-Auckland Hotel.  
  
"You think that's something," I told him. "You should see our hotel. It's a five-star hotel in the center of the city. We can get to nearly anywhere from there; shopping, museums, the beach, and hopefully Amy."  
  
Sid shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe that, Robert. All this awesome stuff we're going to have at this joint and you're still talking about Amy. You're a crazy man."  
  
"Maybe that's just what he wants to do, Sid," Mr. Simmons said as he drove into the exit to our hotel. "Ah, I remember the special days when I was in love---"  
  
"Okay, no trips down memory lane, bucko. Let's just get to this hotel. What's it supposed to have, anyway?"  
  
"Everything," Arnold replied. "I looked the hotel up on the internet. It's got a heated pool, a 24-hour weight room, it's even got a massage and spa center."  
  
`Oh, Arnold. I'm just ever so excited to get there. I'm heading straight for the spa."  
  
"I know," he responded to Lila's comment. "We're going to have so much fun." At this moment Mr. Simmons pulled into the valet parking for the hotel and paid the man. The hotel was this magnificent ten-story building that loomed before us. Just by looking at its exterior, you could know how exquisite this establishment was.  
  
We walked in the front door to be quickly greeted by numerous bellhops, complete with the hats and everything. They didn't say anything; just loaded our bags onto a cart.  
  
"G'day, there," the man at the counter said to us as we approached his desk. I take it g'day had to be a customary greeting in New Zealand.  
  
"Hello, there. We have a reservation for six people, I believe under the name "Slausen's". Do you see that?" Mr. Simmons asked.  
  
"Well, mate, let me check the computer here, and we'll find out." The small, thin man hastily typed away into his computer, and looked up to some surprise.  
  
"My, it seems you mates certainly so have some rooms here. The three best rooms in the whole hotel!" This brought great enjoyment into all of our eyes, as the man continued. "You're the first group ever to have all three suites at the same time."  
  
Sid laughed. "I guess that's some sort of an accomplishment."  
  
Time passed until it had became 5:30. Since I got everyone on this vacation in the first place, Arnold and I moved into the Royal Suite, the best room in the whole hotel, while Mr. Simmons stayed with Sid in the Carlton suite, with Helga and Lila doing the same. My only hope was that Helga wouldn't commit bloody murder against Lila in the middle of the night.  
  
Anyway, the Royal Suite itself had to be bigger than my entire house. It contained two king-sized beds, a complete kitchen with everything you could possibly need to prepare food (not that we were going to use it). We had a whole living room, complete with leather couches and everything. The best part, though, was the 50-inch plasma TV that stood before us.  
  
"Wow," I said in disbelief at the digital wonder that stood before me. "What are we going to watch?"  
  
"I don't know, man," replied Arnold. "Hey, I have a good idea."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Why don't we just walk down to the beach for a while and chill, you know. We can watch TV when we come back in."  
  
"What if I want to look for Amy?"  
  
"Well, it's nearly six o'clock, so you're not going to find much today, anyway. We had such a long trip, so why don't we just order some room service, and go hang at the beach."  
  
"But don't you want to hang out with Lila?" I said, hoping I could luring him into just vegetating in front of the television.  
  
"Nice, try, Robert, but Lila was going to unpack and just sleep until morning," he said, and took a minute to let his train of thought reload. "Okay, I have a deal to make with you."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Okay, if you go with me to the beach tonight, I promise I'll help you look for Amy in the morning."  
  
I took a moment and thought about it, but finally agreed to his terms. After all, I didn't desire being all alone in a city I had never been to before.  
  
"Look at it this way; you'll get to see the sunset in another country." I had always wished for something like that.  
  
We pretty much went according to Arnold's plan. We ordered in some room service for dinner (we discovered that you can order almost anything you want to), and went and told Mr. Simmons we were heading to the beach. We decided to tell him so the worrywart that he is wouldn't end up calling our parents because he can't find us.  
  
Tikitima beach stretched out behind the hotel. I had never seen anything like it. The beach seemed to go on forever, like some kind of never-ending road. The water stayed peaceful the whole time we were there, making it even easier to just relax.  
  
"Wow, you were right," I told Arnold as we laid down a beach towel we took from the hotel. "Sunsets are so different here. It's almost as if you were looking at an entirely different Sun out there."  
  
Arnold nodded. "It is. I mean, I never watched the sunset all that much back in Hillwood, but watching it here just puts things in whole new perspective"  
  
"Just look at this place. Clear water, beautiful sand. It's almost as if we reached some hidden paradise."  
  
"Yeah," replied my good friend, who turned around to see someone coming toward us. "That's weird. We've only been here a little over an hour, and someone's already saying hello. I guess these people are friendly- --"  
  
Arnold stopped suddenly. I didn't know why, until he gestured me to turn around.  
  
"Hi, Robert," the voice said demurely.  
  
"Hi, Rhonda," I replied in complete shock. "What are you doing here?"  
  
I'll admit that Rhonda didn't look all that bad. She had one a black bikini top and blue shorts, topped off with black sandals. Rhonda always had to be the queen of fashion, and I suppose this frustrating matter proved it.  
  
"Okay, Robert," Rhonda said. "Lila told me that you were taking her on a vacation to Auckland, New Zealand, where I knew that Amy girl you likes so much was. So I got my dad to fly me out here on our private jet for a couple of days. Although we're having to live in a deluxe suite, since somebody took all the fancier ones."  
  
"Okay, Rhonda," I replied. "But why would you follow me half the distance around the globe for no apparent reason?"  
  
She paused briefly. "I do have a reason, Robert. I'm still in love with you."  
  
I didn't know what to do or what to say. I quickly carried myself back to the hotel without saying a word.  
  
About thirty minutes later, Arnold came back to the room, to catch me randomly flicking through TV channels, not actually intent on watching anything.  
  
Arnold started the conversation. "Okay, Robert. I just got through talking to Rhonda, and I think you should really give her a chance."  
  
"And why is that?" I said sternly. "I'm sick of her stalking me for the past year, writing me love letters, always following me around, and giving me complete hell!"  
  
"Come on, Robert. You're not even giving her a chance. I mean, apparently she loves you enough to travel thousands of miles to try to win you over."  
  
"I don't care," I said foolishly. "I don't like Rhonda. I like Amy, and if she can't handle it, that's her problem."  
  
Arnold sighed. "Well, I personally think you're making a huge mistake, Robert, but I promised you I'd help you look for this girl, so I will." Arnold went into his bedroom, leaving only a "good night" behind.  
  
I went to bed around 10pm; I only watched a small amount of TV. Let's face it: after an excruciating twenty hours on an airplane, we all were exhausted. I still was shaky about the conflict from earlier. More than likely, I would see Rhonda again before the trip ended. My brain didn't really seems to find her that big of a challenge. Maybe that's why I wanted Amy; I really had no idea. At the time, I must have forgotten the challenge that had started my relationship with Rhonda in the first place.  
  
I wanted to be rested for the beginning of our search in the morning, which is why I began my slumber so early. It really was a kind gesture for Arnold to help me out, even if we ended the evening on a bad note. Maybe I could try to force a little bit of sense into they guy's head. Helga was obviously the better choice for him than Lila; he just didn't see it. Maybe we both were too set in our ways.  
  
We planned before the gang broke up to meet for breakfast at eight thirty, and then our day of adventure would begin. For now, though, I did the greatest thing possible for myself. I drifted off into sleep. 


	5. Red Skies

5  
  
Red Skies  
  
The sun rose early the next morning. I had forgotten that the seasons were opposite of what they were in America. Despite my early awakening, I enjoyed the morning, watching from my suite window.  
  
"Man, the ocean looks beautiful this morning," I said as Arnold came into my room, getting ready for the exciting day ahead of us.  
  
He nodded his head in agreement. "All the scenery here is incredible. It makes everything back in Hillwood look like nothing."  
  
We quickly got dressed and ready to search the city for Amy. It must have been a good thing we rose so early; otherwise we wouldn't have been ready in time. There were so many awesome things we had to check out in our suite that it took us nearly an hour and a half to shower and get dressed.  
  
"Hey, we have a full refrigerator!" I said, opening it up to see all sorts of food.  
  
"This room is so awesome. Too bad we have to go down and meet the gang."  
  
Surprisingly, we made it to the dining room on time, and no one else came in late, either. Everyone looked so much better after a good night's sleep; Helga's mood had changed drastically from the scowling grump she was after the plane ride.  
  
I couldn't believe how much food the hotel actually laid out. Most hotels tell you about their "continental breakfasts", but just lay out some rolls and cereal. This place literally had more food than you could possibly imagine. It even had a chef that would cook whatever you told him to (except for pizza, according to Sid).  
  
Once we all were sitting down, Helga asked us "So what is everyone going to do today?" We all know that Robbie's going to be running around, hopelessly searching for some doll he's never going to find.  
  
"You don't know that! All I need is one good lead and I could find her with no problems whatsoever."  
  
Helga chuckled. "And what makes you think she hasn't moved again. It's been over a year since she left Hillwood."  
  
"I remember Amy telling me that all of her family lived here in Auckland. It's not likely that she would just pack up and move again."  
  
"But it is possible," Arnold reminded me. "Well, if you want to start this, Robert, we probably should be heading out soon."  
  
"So Football Head's going with you, Robbie?"  
  
Arnold nodded in agreement. "Yes, Helga, I promised Robert I'd help him out today, and I'm going to keep my promise."  
  
Sid laughed one his devilish little snickers. "You can have fun looking for one babe, Rob, but I'm going to be getting all of them at the beach."  
  
"Sounds like a decent plan," Helga said. "I think you might be forgetting one thing: you an ugly little weasel with a very irritating personality."  
  
Lila quickly changed the subject. "I'm ever so certain I'm going to the health and beauty spa today."  
  
"Great, that leaves me with nothing to do than watch TV."  
  
"Well, Helga, I'm going to visit all the wonderfully special exhibits at the Auckland Museum of Natural History, if you care to join me," Mr. Simmons suggested.  
  
Helga groaned. "Okay, new plan. I'm going to the spa with little Miss Perfect over here."  
  
This brought great delight to Lila. "I'm sure we'll have just ever so much fun, Helga."  
  
On this extremely annoying statement we all parted ways, with Arnold and I rushing out the door.  
  
"Okay, where should we start?"  
  
I was already flipping through a phone book before Arnold finished the conversation. "I'm going to see if I can find any clue to where Amy might live. I don't know her parents' names, though."  
  
"You do know that there's likely to be hundreds of people in this city with the last name of "Black"?"  
  
I sighed, but realized Arnold was right. "Well, I read that the main housing area of Auckland is on the northern part of town, so why don't we head up there?"  
  
"Sounds like the best idea," Arnold said. "We can take a bus up there. But by the time we get up there, it will be getting close to lunchtime."  
  
"That's not all that big of a deal. Maybe somebody at the restaurant will know about her."  
  
We got to the bus station and got a ticket for Carter Lane, the beginning of the housing district of Auckland. Arnold was right about the time, though. By the time we were able to get a bus ride all the way over there, lunchtime slowly approached. Thankfully, we still were stuffed from the feast at the hotel this morning, which prolonged our search on the streets for a short while.  
  
On the bus, we decided to come up with a grand and master plan when we arrived at our destination.  
  
"Does any one know Amy Black? Anyone even heard of her, or know where she might live?"  
  
Okay, maybe it wasn't the most genius plan on the entire planet. Most people just stared at us like we were insane. One guy threw a tomato at us, and knocked off Arnold's hat.  
  
"Maybe that wasn't all that good of an idea," Arnold said, drying his hat off before placing it again on his head.  
  
"I just feel so at home here," I replied. "When you look at the way the city is designed, it really doesn't appear all that different from home." I looked down at my watch, which read 1:30. "Man, it's getting late. Let's go ahead and stop for lunch. I'm starting to get hungry."  
  
Arnold pointed over to a large restaurant on the street corner, one named The Auckland Catch. "That place sounds good; both of us enjoy seafood fairly well."  
  
I agreed. It didn't really matter that much to me where we dined, just as long as we received something to eat.  
  
The Auckland Catch was set up in the style of an old fishing dock. It had the traditional wood plank floors and everything. All the customers set at lacquered picnic tables. It added a nice atmosphere to the eatery, although it wasn't anything out of the ordinary.  
  
Once we had finally taken our seats, Arnold gave me a good talking to.  
  
"Hey, Robert, I have a question for you."  
  
What's that?" I asked.  
  
"I know that I've been giving you a hard time about this since last night, but I really would like to know what is so wrong with Rhonda. I mean, she's attractive, she's smart, and she's even in good spirits all of the time. I don't know why you don't like her."  
  
"I told you this last night, Arnold," I explained. "Rhonda doesn't have what I'm looking for."  
  
"But how would you know? You haven't given her a chance since the fourth grade. She's changed."  
  
I started to get a little aggravated. "Look, I'm here to find Amy, not to listen about what some girl that I used to like is doing now. If you have a problem with me looking for Amy, you go back to the hotel and flirt with Lila. See if I care."  
  
"Fine," Arnold said sternly, grabbing his meal as he walked out the door. "I just think you're making a big mistake, Robert."  
  
I sat there at the table alone. I will admit it made me uncomfortable, being alone in an unfamiliar place. But at the time I didn't care about Arnold, or Rhonda, or anyone else except Amy. They probably were just jealous that they didn't get a chance to find the girl of their dreams. That was it.  
  
About that time, though, I did get my first clue. Being as lonely as I was, I began looking through the menu, and I read the history of the restaurant. Then I realized something. Thirty years ago, a man named Casey Black founded The Auckland Catch. He could have very easily have been Amy's grandfather or great-uncle. Unfortunately, the menu also said he resigned four years ago, so I had no real way of communicating with him.  
  
I quickly existed the restaurant, basically in the same condition as when I entered it. Only now, I was by myself. Arnold had abandoned me, and I was standing on the middle of a street, with no real idea of what to.  
  
"Maybe Helga was right. Maybe I'm just hopelessly investigating for something I'm never going to find," I said, sitting at a park bench across from the restaurant. "It's going to take a miracle to find Amy Black in the middle of a city I've never been to."  
  
"Have you looked at Black Manor?" I turned around to see a man in his early twenties, carrying a briefcase.  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"I said have you looked at Black Manor? After all, that's where she lives."  
  
"How would you know?" I said, still slightly agitated at the earlier incident with Arnold.  
  
"My name is Tyler Black. I'm Amy's brother."  
  
I stopped in complete shock. I was hoping for a miracle, but I didn't actually think I'd get one.  
  
"How do you know Amy?" Tyler asked me.  
  
"Well, my name is Robert, see, and she went to my school back in America a little over a year ago."  
  
"Oh, okay. That's right, she's mentioned you before, but did you come all the way over here just to see her again?"  
  
"No, no. Of course not," I lied. "I am staying here for a couple of days on vacation, and I figured since I was already here, I might as well try to find her."  
  
Tyler laughed. I'm apparently not all that good of a liar. "Well, mate, I'll be heading back to the Manor soon, if you'd like a ride."  
  
"Would I!"  
  
We walked over to Tyler's car, a brand-new Mercedes-Benz. Amy had never told me her family over here was so well off. Her dad must be the dud in the family or something.  
  
"So you and Amy were friends or something, right?" Tyler asked me as a climbed into his beautiful automobile.  
  
"Yeah, I guess you could say that life in Hillwood was awfully boring without her."  
  
After about ten minutes of driving, Tyler pulled into a separate road that led to an enormous building. "That's the Manor?" I asked looking at the booming mansion that stood before us."  
  
"Yeah, mate. That's the place."  
  
When I heard the name "Black Manor" I was expecting it to look like some kind of castle that Count Dracula lived in. Surprisingly, the mansion was a gigantic three-story house that must have been larger than my entire street. It had a courtyard, guesthouses, everything; and that was just what I could see from the front.  
  
"Let me see if Amy's ready to see anyone. Chris, take Robert here into the family room." Chris, who I was guessing was the butler, led me into a room filled with couches and tables, a room larger than my entire house.  
  
"Would you like a drink or anything, sir?" Chris asked me.  
  
"No, I'm fine, thanks."  
  
I remember being overwhelmed with thoughts at that time. The moment was slowly ticking by when I would see Amy again. I wondered if she'd look any different, or if she could be any more beautiful than I remembered her.  
  
After about ten minutes, Tyler finally came into the room. "Okay, Amy's ready to see you now." I looked towards him, and Amy Black entered the room. She didn't look all that different from when I last saw her, but she became even more beautiful. Her radiant green eyes still shined like emeralds. Everything felt perfect from the moment Amy entered the room.  
  
"Robert? Is that you?"  
  
I chuckled lightly. "Yes, Amy. It's me."  
  
Maybe she was being sincere, or just trying to be nice, but she ran over and hugged me. I had to stop myself from jumping for joy before I looked like a complete idiot. She was easy to read when she talked, though. She was a terrible liar; I learned that from theatre tryouts. Tyler apparently wasn't too enthralled with our meeting, so he left the room.  
  
"It's been so long since I've seen you. How did you get here?"  
  
I quickly began telling her the story about how I won the radio contest and decided to come to Auckland for vacation. However, I did leave out the parts about Rhonda. I wanted that to be a secret.  
  
"Wow, that's pretty awesome that you came all the way here just so you could see me again. You're so sweet."  
  
I quickly ran through my mind to search for any sort of a compliment to give her, so I just blurted out "You are so gorgeous."  
  
"You still think so? You know, Robert, since I moved back here I really haven't gotten to have to many friends. My grandfather hired a private teacher, so I don't really get to see anyone my age anymore. It's great to see a friendly face."  
  
"Hey, you want to come back to the hotel and see the rest of the gang?"  
  
"I'd love that."  
  
Amy called up her chauffer (the girl had her own limo driver), and I took a luxurious drive back to the Carlton, with Amy by my side.  
  
"So have things changed back in Hillwood?"  
  
"They've changed some," I told her. "It's not all that different, though. Helga still likes Arnold, Curly's still suspended, and Sid has gotten even more paranoid, even though he now pretends to be a ladies' man."  
  
Amy laughed. "Everything back there was great. I miss being able to have a public school environment. My father is a bit of a freeloader, though, so we had to move back here. My brother mainly takes care of me."  
  
"Your grandfather must be Casey Black, then."  
  
"Yeah, he is. He used to own half of the restaurants in Auckland, before he gave them to Tyler to take care of. How do you know my grandfather?"  
  
"I ate at one of his hotels earlier."  
  
We pulled into the Carlton hotel shortly after that, and we went on a bit of a search for the rest of the gang.  
  
Arnold wasn't all that big of a problem, though. He was watching TV in our room when I brought Amy in.  
  
"Hey, Robert. Look, I still---." It took him a second to notice Amy, but then quickly changed the subject. "Um, hey Amy. It's quite a surprise to see you here."  
  
"Yeah, Robert invited me over to see the rest of you guys, so I wanted to stop in and say hello."  
  
"Hey, have you seen Sid?" I asked Arnold.  
  
"Yeah, he was in his room crying last time I saw him. Some girl he met on the beach slapped him, and he's been there since."  
  
We went over into Sid's room, and we quickly said hello to him (he was so torn up we didn't want to stay too long).  
  
Our last stop of the evening was outside the beauty spa, where Helga and Lila came out, looking like divas. Personally, I thought Helga pulled it off much better than Lila.  
  
Lila was pretty friendly with Amy, telling her all about recent events and other things from Hillwood. Helga barely muttered a "hello".  
  
"Well, I suppose that's everyone," I told her. "Mr. Simmons must still be at the museum."  
  
"That's fine. I probably should be getting back home anyway. Tonight's family dinner night." Amy hugged me, and I was happy again. I didn't notice Rhonda walking by, or her running off crying.  
  
Before Amy left in her limousine, I asked her "Do you want to go somewhere tomorrow?"  
  
"That sounds like fun. I have teachings in the morning, but I'll pick you up here at 1:00pm, outside the hotel. That sound good?"  
  
"Sure does," I said joyfully, watching her go away in her limousine, until I would see her again.  
  
I walked into the hotel to be instantly greeted by the rest of my party. They didn't seem nearly as jovial as I was.  
  
Helga started it off. "Well, Robbie, I hope you're real proud of yourself."  
  
"Well, actually I am."  
  
"You come in here, parade your little friend in front of all of us, and you made Rhonda cry! You even pissed Arnold off, and it takes a lot to piss off that boy."  
  
"Look, I did what I wanted to do. You can't all expect me to like Rhonda just because you people want me, too."  
  
"Yes, Robbie, but right now you're being nothing but a moron. You don't know if that girl's just doing this out of sympathy for you. You barely even know her! Look, Rhonda loves you, and if you can't see that for yourself, then go ahead. Go out with Amy. We don't care. But someday when you end up by yourself with no friends or anything, don't come crying to us. You'll have screwed yourself." Helga walked away, followed by Lila, who didn't say a word.  
  
"You're screwed up, dude," was Sid's only comment before he walked away, apparently with much more self-esteem than earlier.  
  
Arnold walked up to me. "You know, Robert, I think I know what this is all about."  
  
"And what is that?"  
  
"I think you're trying to make Rhonda as depressed as you possibly can. Let's face it: You're still mad at her for what she did to you in the fourth grade. You haven't been nice to her since. When will you learn to forgive? People do make mistakes you know." Arnold then walked away, leaving me alone again.  
  
I looked up at the red sky above. I didn't know what was wrong with me.  
  
Was I not willing to forgive?  
  
  
  
Note: All right, this is getting interesting now. Be sure to send me plenty of reviews, because I like them so much. 


	6. There and Back

6  
  
There and Back  
  
I looked around me. Nobody was there. In fact, nothing was there I sat there, desolate; nothing ever changing.  
  
I somehow ended up on Tikitima Beach, although it seemed so much different from when I had visited it earlier with Arnold. Nobody was there. I looked around for the longest time, but couldn't see a single thing, other than the white sand that covered the ground. No buildings were where they were supposed to; they were entirely nonexistent. The only things apparent were the beach, the water, and myself.  
  
I looked to the sky, hoping to get some sort of an answer there, but soon realized the sky was nothing but a black void. However, I began to hear strange voices calling me.  
  
"Robert," the voices called, and continued perpetually.  
  
"What!" I screamed. "What do you want from me!"  
  
"You parade her in front of us, you made her cry." I began to notice some sort of figures coming to me. I couldn't exactly tell what they were, but they appeared to be getting closer.  
  
"You screwed up," the voices continued. "You even angered him, and he's never angry. When will you learn to forgive?"  
  
I ran away. I could think of nothing else to do. The voices were approaching me so quickly; I didn't pay attention to the figure sitting on the beach, away from everything else. It was crying.  
  
"What's wrong?" I asked the voice, but received no response. I turned around again, this time to see the spirits grasping me at my clothes, and dragging me into the ocean.  
  
"You had your chance, Robert."  
  
I woke up screaming and yelling for help. That whole terrible sequence was only a dream. I climbed out of my bed, and watched Arnold quickly run into my room.  
  
"You okay, Robert?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess I just had a bad dream or something. It's no problem, I'll be okay."  
  
"Okay, that's good. I'm going to breakfast, so I'll see you in a couple minutes or so."  
  
"All right," I told him, and began to get ready for my day. As I began to slowly arise from bed, I still felt haunted from the nightmare that had occurred. Now even my dreams were starting to criticize me. I think I understood what it wanted to tell me, I just wasn't sure if I desired to believe its message or not. Maybe I finally was getting some second doubts about this whole Amy relationship, but that still wouldn't stop me from seeing her later this afternoon.  
  
After getting dressed, I headed downstairs to meet the rest of the gang. Unfortunately, no one gave me a pleasant greeting except Mr. Simmons, and he was gone during the whole episode.  
  
"Okay, you guys, I hope you all have a very special day! I'm going to spend most of the day climbing the massive mountains, and getting some pictures for our class."  
  
"Sounds like another brilliant idea, Simmons," Helga said spitefully.  
  
I couldn't take it anymore. "I'm going to the beach," I said as I pulled up my chair and bolted out the door. I could have sworn Mr. Simmons said something to me on the way out, but I really didn't want to stop. Since everyone was basically ignoring me, my best refuge would be that same beach that haunted me my last sleep.  
  
The weather for the day virtually suited my mood. The clouds overshadowed the Sun, giving the morning a feeling like the remainder of the day would be dark and gloomy.  
  
It didn't really matter to me. I didn't even have on my swimsuit or anything; I just lied down in the sand and watched the waves. I had about three hours to kill until I was to meet Amy, so I didn't really have anything better to do.  
  
I sat there for about fifteen minutes, until Mr. Simmons sat down next to me.  
  
"Are you doing okay, Robert? You haven't really seemed to be very you ever since we arrived here."  
  
"No, no," I lied. "Everything is fine. There's no way I could possibly be better than I am now."  
  
Mr. Simmons chuckled lightly. "You know, being a teacher for as long as I have has given me the a special ability to tell how my students really feel. I'm not going to force anything out of you or anything, but if you have something bothering you, I'll be here to listen. You know that?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"You've been my student for almost three years, and I know that your parents aren't exactly there for you. But I believe that not only you, but all of my students are special, so try to be there for them."  
  
I didn't know what to tell him, so I just said "thanks".  
  
"Just remember one thing," Mr. Simmons said. "If you're making a big decision, just be sure you choosing the best one. Sometimes the best things for you are right under your nose the whole time." Mr. Simmons stood up. "I'm going to leave now, so be sure to enjoy your day, Robert."  
  
"Okay, I will. Thanks, Mr. Simmons."  
  
"You are very special to me." Mr. Simmons walked away, and I finally stood up to take a quick look around. It still was fairly early in the day, so the beach hadn't become packed with hundreds of people yet. I stretched my feet a little, and saw another familiar face nearby: Rhonda. She wasn't on the beach like I saw her when we first arrived; instead she just seemed to be walking in circles around the hotel.  
  
"Hey Rhonda!" I yelled out to her. "Hold up!" Apparently she chose to ignore me, as she continued her continuous walking. So I walked over there, and called her name again. This time she saw me, and before I could get another word in, bolted inside to her suite. I needed to do the same, since Amy would be here soon.  
  
My mind was a complete mess. Everyone pulling me one-way, and Amy pulling me the other. At the time, part of me wanted to go each way. The dream persisted to make me think, along with what Mr. Simmons told me. I wasn't going to let it haunt my afternoon, though, so I went and prepared for my date, if that's what you want to call it.  
  
Amy arrived precisely on time, and I ran outside and met her by the limo.  
  
"Hey, Robert!' Amy yelled out at me as I walked out there.  
  
"Hi, there," I replied. "So, what exactly are we going to do today?  
  
"Well, I was thinking on the lines that we could go to one of my brother's restaurants first. Do you like Italian food?"  
  
"Love it."  
  
"All right, you're a guy of good tastes. We can have a nice meal there, and maybe then we head back to my private beach at the manor."  
  
"Wow," I said, kind of hesitantly.  
  
"Are you okay, Robert? You seem awful quiet today. Is something bothering you?"  
  
"No, no, I'm fine. Let's just get going."  
  
The restaurant that Amy to was a luxurious building called "Andante". I thought it might have been a strange name for a café, since andante really means "slow" in Italian. I didn't let it bother me much, so we just entered to get some food.  
  
"So how's that theatre department going? Is Mr. Simmons still running it?"  
  
"Yeah, he is," I told Amy as we sat down at our tables. "We haven't done a show yet this year, there'll be one in the spring."  
  
"That sounds cool. I never get to do any shows anymore. I miss being stage manager." The restaurant started playing some slow, kind of corny, music. "Hey, this is a good song. Do you want to dance, Robert?"  
  
I paused for a second to look around the room. "Um, I don't know. Nobody else in the restaurant is dancing. I'd feel kind of embarrassed."  
  
She sighed, but joined my side. "Okay. Well, do you want to just take the food to go and head over to the beach?"  
  
"That sounds like a good idea," I said, grabbing my lasagna and heading out into the car.  
  
Her limousine even had a table in it, so we just decided to put in up and eat on the way to her mansion. Meanwhile, I practically was forced to inform Amy of every single detail that has occurred at Hillwood since we left.  
  
Maybe I just was feeling bad that day, but hanging out with Amy wasn't as awesome as I had imagined it. Maybe I was starting to let everyone's opinions make the best of me.  
  
Anyway, we arrived at the beach, a small, beautiful, shoreline along the back of Black Manor. I could understand why it was private; it was the most beautiful beach I had ever seen in my life. No people crowded the water, no pollution gathered along the coast. This beach was kept in the way it must have been intended to be.  
  
I sat out there for about fifteen minutes, waiting for Amy to change. I had worn my swimsuit under my clothes, just to be prepared. She finally did come out, and I nearly fainted. I'm not going to describe her bikini; I don't really want to turn this into a trash romance novel.  
  
Anyway, unless you want to listen to an hour-long description of Amy's vacation to Nepal, I should probably just move along. We sat out there for the longest time, at least two or three hours, talking about nothing in general. I didn't feel like we were connecting with her in the way we should have been. I barely was able to get a rod in. Amy had never seemed so talkative before. I could barely get a word in.  
  
Time did pass by, and soon enough, it was around five o'clock, about time for Amy to get ready for dinner.  
  
"Wow, Robert. Times sure flies when you're talking. You know, I feel like I know you so much better now."  
  
"Uh, yeah. Me, too," I said somewhat awkwardly.  
  
"You know, Robert, I didn't realize it until several months after I came back here, but I missed you more than I did anyone else back in Hillwood."  
  
"Wow, thank---"  
  
"You were the only person I thought about. Out of everyone I've ever met, you were the nicest and sweetest guys. You know what I'm saying?"  
  
"Yea---"  
  
"Well, what I'm trying to say, Robert, is that I'm in love with you." That was a little unexpected, but not as surprising as when she reached over and started kissing me.  
  
I don't know, I just didn't feel good about it. After about two seconds, I yanked myself away from her grasp.  
  
Amy looked at me startlingly. "What's wrong?"  
  
I sighed. "It's nothing, I just feel like---"  
  
"But I thought you loved me as much as I loved you."  
  
Finally, I'm able to speak my mind. "You know, Amy, at one time I did. You were all I ever thought about. That's why I came here in the first place. It's only that until now, I finally realized how much other people care for me. I mean, someone loves me so much that they followed me all the way out here."  
  
"You know I would have visited you if I had the chance."  
  
"I know," I said. "It's been a year since I've seen you. That much time can change people. I honestly do care about you, Amy, but the best person for me has been right under my nose this whole time."  
  
For the first time all afternoon, Amy was speech less. I stood up, realizing this would probably ever see her beautiful hair and emerald green eyes ever again. "Goodbye, Amy," I said as I put on my street clothes and headed to the bus stop.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
One minute I was sure  
  
And the other am confused  
  
Of all the things that were  
  
Everything is new  
  
I remember all the greatest lines  
  
Of all the laughs and grins  
  
I fell under the toll of time  
  
I was there and back again  
  
  
  
This love had drove me near insane  
  
My joys had made her cry  
  
I hope now I can explain  
  
To drench the heart that's dry  
  
I never was sure of quite how  
  
But now I know the when  
  
Because in that moment I know now  
  
I've been there and back again  
  
  
  
I arrived at the hotel about half an hour later, but now confident in my ways. The first thing I did was rush over to Helga and Arnold's room. Surprisingly, everyone was in there, even Mr. Simmons. They seemed to be planning some sort of activity.  
  
"Hey look, Mr. Picky's back from his date," Helga said sarcastically. "I hope you enjoyed your date."  
  
"Actually, I kind of was hoping to know where Rhonda was. I need to talk to her."  
  
"She left a couple of minutes ago to head home," Lila told me. "But I'm ever so curious to know why."  
  
I let out another sigh. "I broke it off with Amy. Rhonda's been the right girl all along, and I want to tell her that."  
  
Helga stood up from her sitting place. "Well, Robbie, in that case, maybe I can help you out."  
  
"Me, too," Arnold said, smiling.  
  
"Count me in," added Sid.  
  
"Rhonda will be ever so excited,"  
  
Finally even Mr. Simmons pitched in. "It looks like you finally followed your heart, Robert. I'll help any way I can."  
  
"Well, then," I told them. "Why are we just sitting around here? We have Rhonda to find."  
  
  
  
Note: Hoped you like that chapter as much as I did writing it, and if you ever want to read more of my writing, be sure to check out Korrotia: the Discovery, what I'm working on in the original fics section. 


	7. Seeing the Light

7  
  
Enlightenment  
  
"Now where did you say she was going?"  
  
We had begun heading out to a taxi as quickly as we could, hoping we could still catch Rhonda before she leaves. First, though, I had to find out where she was departing from.  
  
"Well," Lila said while trying to press something into a complete thought. "I'm ever so certain that she was going to the airport." That did me no good. "She did say they had their private plane waiting for them." At that moment in time, I didn't even mind Lila's irritating personality.  
  
"Okay," I said as the whole group somehow managed in a taxi. "Let's go to the airport."  
  
"This plan is all well and good, Robbie, but how exactly do you expect to find one private jet in an airport with hundreds of planes, especially if you have no idea what the one plane you're looking for even looks like." Helga had a good point, but I wasn't giving up.  
  
I smiled. "We're just going to have to hope for some good fortune."  
  
"More like a miracle," Helga said sarcastically.  
  
"It wouldn't be as hard as you would think. We just have to keep our eyes and ears open and maybe find some clues."  
  
Leave it up to Sid to change the subject entirely. "Hey, Robert, since you're kind of going after Rhonda now, can you hook me up with Amy? She was pretty hot."  
  
I sighed. "Okay, Sid, I'll tell you what. If you help me out here at the airport, I'll see what I can do. Deal?"  
  
"Deal." I guess I did feel sorry for her for just dumping her so suddenly. Sid may not be the most handsome guy in the world, but at least he's something.  
  
We arrived at the airport about five minutes later, which resulting in the other kids and me rushing into the airport, leaving Mr. Simmons to pay the taxi driver.  
  
Arnold huddled us up in his little leadership position. "Okay, I think I have a good plan. We should all split into groups of two, that way we can find him quicker. Plus, I brought some walkie-talkies in my backpack, so we can call out to each other if we find Rhonda or anything leading us to their plane."  
  
"I'm ever so certain I'll just wait here for Mr. Simmons," Lila said.  
  
"Okay then," Arnold continued. That leaves Robert with Sid and me--- with Helga."  
  
"Oh, brother," Helga said. "I'm stuck with you again?" We all ignored her comment; we all knew how she really felt. We just ignored her and were on our way.  
  
"Man, I can't see a thing," Sid said to me. "We've been looking for almost half an hour, and haven't seen a sign of anything."  
  
"Yeah, and if someone doesn't find something soon, the whole search is hopeless."  
  
Wouldn't you know right about then we'd get a message on our walkie- talkies? Surprisingly, it was from Helga.  
  
The static was so terrible, though, we could barely understand a word that was said. "Have---boys' restroom---inside---near---entrance."  
  
Sid picked up the walkie-talkie. "Are you saying that you and Rhonda are in the boys' bathroom?"  
  
"Just---come---."  
  
We were hoping that they meant the men's restroom by where we entered the airport. So we began to rush that way. We still kept our eyes open for clues, but we didn't see much on the journey over.  
  
Thankfully, our assumption was correct, as we rushed in to find Arnold and (strangely enough) Helga inside. Although the person they had with them wasn't Rhonda but instead a middle-aged man in a tank top and boxer shorts tied up in a corner.  
  
"Good thing I had some rope, huh Robbie?"  
  
"What? Who exactly is this anyway?"  
  
"Goes by the name of Sean Bell. We overheard him talking to a flight attendant, complaining that the Lloyds' sudden departure ruined his vacation. As you can tell by the uniform lying on the ground over there, he's the pilot."  
  
Sid found this to be the coolest thing ever. "Wow, you tied up a pilot?"  
  
Helga sighed. "Yes, Sid, we tied up a pilot. Now all we gotta do is wait for Granola Boy to show up so we can solve our problem." Helga bent over the pilot and threatened him with the infamous "Old Betsy". "Tell me, Mr. Bell, where is the private jet?"  
  
I added in. "Where are your passengers?"  
  
"Where are your tacos?" Everyone gave Sid one of those looks of disgust, even the pilot himself.  
  
Mr. Bell finally gave in, and said the location. "Okay, they're on runway three, but you kids aren't going to get past the guards."  
  
Finally Mr. Simmons runs into the restroom, with Lila waiting outside. "Hello, class!"  
  
Helga smiled at the pilot. "We can't get in, but he can."  
  
We got Mr. Simmons to quickly change into the pilot's costume, although he proclaimed it was against all moral values.  
  
"Okay, I'm in this large uniform. But how is this going to help Robert?"  
  
Arnold responded. "That's an easy solution. In emergencies, drivers bring their kid with them on their trips. Just tell the guards Robert's their son."  
  
"Okay." With that, Mr. Simmons, now decked out in full pilot apparel, headed with me to runway three, where Rhonda's jet was supposedly waiting. The whole plan seemed to work out perfectly. In fact, there wasn't even a security guard guarding the runway. That had to have been the strangest thing of all. The plane was open, so we just walked on the small jet.  
  
Inside there barely was a soul. Rhonda was sitting in one seat, with a stewardess in another. Her dad must be staying here longer or something.  
  
Rhonda climbed out of her seat. "Finally, you're here. You are very late for this takeoff, you know. You are---" She then took a second to examine the face of the pilot. "You're Mr. Simmons!" she then took a glance at me. "Robert!" She screamed angrily, and pushed her way past me into the gate.  
  
"Rhonda!" I yelled at her, and began chasing her out into the terminal. No matter what I yelled, she just kept running. "Rhonda, I---" Finally, I just decided to do the one action that would hopefully stop her dead in her tracks. I grabbed her shoulder, turner her around, and kissed her. I couldn't think of any other thing to do, so I just kissed her right in the middle of the airport. That did work, since she stopped afterwards.  
  
I held her with all of my heart. "Rhonda, I made a mistake. I love you."  
  
Rhonda looked back at me, her eyes wide open and a smile slowly appearing on her face. "I love you, too." She embraced me, and for one solitary moment, everything was right in the world.  
  
We just stood there for a while, until she finally spoke. "Tank you so much, Robert. I really do have to be leaving, though. It'll mess up my daddy's schedule if I stay any longer."  
  
"Okay," I said, watching her turn around and began to walk the other way. "I'll see you there soon!"  
  
"Bye," Rhonda said, as she blew me a kiss and walked inside the plane.  
  
The whole group met up again outside the airport. It took us a minute or two to untie the pilot and let him have his uniform back. Then I informed everyone of the exciting adventure on the plane, and a celebration commenced.  
  
"All right Robert!" Arnold said, giving me a high five.  
  
"Well, Robbie, it looks like you didn't screw up so bad after all."  
  
"Glad to hear it, Helga," I said sarcastically Even Lila was congratulatory towards me, which isn't terrible for someone that has no real emotional depth.  
  
I realized that the time had already become 7pm when we got in our cab, so we all drove over to a restaurant nearby (funny that it was owned by Tyler Black). We all sat down, told stories, and made jokes. Helga made fun of Arnold, who was trying to hit on Lila. Meanwhile, Sid was attempting to hit on the waitress. That evening was just a normal evening on the exterior, but it had to be one of my favorite evenings ever. Everyone was having a great time; it made we think back to the good days of fourth grade, where everything seemed to be carefree and fun. Even Mr. Simmons got into the excitement, telling stories about when he was in the sixth grade (he actually injured himself more than Eugene). For that one brief moment, life couldn't be any more enjoyable.  
  
After our dinner, we all went back to our hotel, where we hanged out for the rest of the evening. Before we went to our rooms, though, Helga approached me with a question.  
  
"Hey Robbie, since it's going to be the last real day of the trip tomorrow, do you think you could possibly set something up with Arnold and me. After all, you room with him."  
  
"I'll see what I can do." This added another exciting event for the day tomorrow. Now not only was I going to set up Sid and Amy, but Helga and Arnold as well. I wish I knew why everyone was coming to me as matchmaker.  
  
Anyway, we all just took the evening off, just relaxing and enjoying ourselves. Arnold and myself finally got a chance to check out the TV in our room, which was a wonderful experience in itself.  
  
I spent the majority of that evening in my room. It was funny to see how I originally went on this trip to try to win Amy back, but when I found her, I realized it was the wrong relationship for me. I had found a new love, and more importantly, I had found myself. 


	8. Robert as Cupid

8  
  
Robert as Cupid  
  
Note: Sorry for the long wait on the chapter. School starting back and all has made me busy again. Just be sure to send me reviews like you have been. I do read them, and I posted an edited version of the last chapter (since I evidently was exhausted or something when I wrote it originally).  
  
  
  
I woke up the next morning feeling completely refreshed. After enjoying every minute of the preceding evening, another new day was upon me. This meant that it would be time for me to be the matchmaker. Although I didn't have to worry about any of my own troubles, I had to find a way to set up Sid with Amy and Arnold with Helga.  
  
"Hey, Arnold, I got a question for you," I said to him as we were getting ready for another day of excitement in Auckland.  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Do you want to go to the theme park later today?" On the way to the hotel I saw an enormous aqua park called Bluewater Falls. It looked just like you would expect from a water park, with the enormous slides and shooting waves. I didn't get that great a look at it, but it appeared to be an awesome-looking place.  
  
Arnold, completely unaware of my plan, agreed. "Okay, I can meet you here at about one o'clock to go?"  
  
"Why don't you just meet me there at one-thirty? I have some business to take care of first." This all happened to be part of my master plan. I would stop by the hotel earlier and pick up Helga, and we can wait for Arnold at Bluewater Falls. He will have no choice but to attempt to get along with her. First, though, I would have to find a way to set Sid up with Amy. This might be the harder part of the relationships, no matter how complicated Arnold and Helga's relationship could be. I still would have to try, though, so I went and told Helga of my plan, and then headed out to the lobby to meet Sid after another wonderful breakfast.  
  
"Okay, so where exactly does Amy live?"  
  
Just then, it came to me that through all my descriptions of my experience with Amy, I regretted to mention much of Black Manor. I quickly told Sid of the booming mansion that stood near the private beach.  
  
"Boy, howdy, that's quite a place," Sid said in astonishment. "How exactly am I going to get in there?"  
  
I sighed. "That's going to be the difficult part, my friend. I remember there being gates and guards and cameras all over that mansion. In a sense, it was a utopian Area 51."  
  
"Oh, great. I might as well just stay dreaming at the girls in the sports magazines."  
  
"Hey, Sid. I'm not going to give up on you that easily, just along as you don't surrender on me. I remember where Black Manor is, so we'll just have to find a way to sneak you in."  
  
Sid looked up me in a wide-eyed look. "Sneak ME in? Where are you going to be?"  
  
"I can't go in there with you. The butler or somebody will remember who I am. More than likely, they probably think I'm just some kind of jerk for what I did to Amy."  
  
"So where exactly are we going to go then?"  
  
Just about then it hit me. "You know, Sid, Tyler Black is practically the owner of half of the restaurants in Auckland. All we have to do is go over to one of the restaurants and ask the manager where he might be at the moment. Then you just tell him about yourself, and he'll be sure to drive you into the Manor."  
  
"And just how exactly do you know that?"  
  
"Just trust me, Sid. There's hardly anything that could go wrong. I mean, the hardest part of this trip is going to be finding Tyler."  
  
"Where we going to go first?" Sid asked me.  
  
"Why don't we head over to the Auckland Catch? That's near where I met him in the first place."  
  
"Sounds like a plan."  
  
We headed over there at a fairly steady pace. This time, there really wasn't any sense of urgency in trying to find Tyler. I mean, if he wasn't there, we could just find out where he is from the manager.  
  
It only took us about fifteen minutes to ride the bus over to where the restaurant was, so I quickly sent Sid inside.  
  
"Hey, why aren't you coming with me?" Sid asked as I shoved him inside the building.  
  
"Because they'll remember me. You have nothing to worry about, Sid. They're not going to bite your head off or anything." I waited outside for Sid for about ten minutes, not really expecting much to happen. Just about then I recognized a figure approaching the restaurant at a diligent speed. As the figure approached, I began to realize it was that of Amy.  
  
"Oh, crap," I thought to myself as I ducked down behind a park bench. All war would break loose if she saw me, so I just had to sit there and watch her pass by me, not paying the least attention to my hiding place at all.  
  
Thankfully (and almost unfortunately), Sid came out of the Auckland Catch at about they same time. "Hey, Rob---"  
  
"SHH! She's right there," I whispered. That did get Amy's attention, as she turned around to see where the noise was coming from. Sid quickly moved in front of my bench and shook Amy's hand.  
  
"Hi, there, Amy! I'm sure you don't exactly remember who I am, you see, but I was at the school and at the hotel and---" Sid paused for a second, most likely trying to come up with something brilliant to say. All he came out with is "Yeah, I'm Sid."  
  
Amy gave the poor boy one of the strangest looks I had ever seen in my entire life, but shortly after it turned into some remote smile.  
  
"Well, hi Sid. I'm sorry, but I'm one my way somewhere and---"  
  
"Do you want to hang out with me sometime this afternoon?"  
  
Amy took a second apparently to think about it. "Well, as long as you don't promise to just dump me when I least expect it. Robert was a real jerk to me."  
  
"Yeah, he's like that sometimes."  
  
Okay, Sid's comment angered e a little, but I knew he was just trying to pick up a date. I didn't let it get to me. I watched Sid follow her around the corner, with him giving me a thumbs-up behind his back.  
  
"Well," I thought to myself. "One down, two to go." I got up from my uncomfortable position to head back over to the hotel.  
  
I made a valiant attempt to head up to Helga's room without Arnold spotting me. It reminded me of being in some kind of secret agent movie, dodging around corners and crawling on the floor. Okay, I didn't really do the last part, but it entertained me to think about it.  
  
Basically I just walked up to Helga's door. Lila had gone down to the spa again so we had no real problem heading over to Bluewater Falls.  
  
"So, Rob, does Arnold actually know that I'm coming?" Helga asked me.  
  
"Well, honestly, no."  
  
"Oh, great," Helga said sarcastically. "What makes you think that he's actually going to stay there? He'll probably just take one look at me and bolt up a water slide."  
  
"You don't know that. From what I know, Arnold doesn't hate you or anything. He's told me that he believes that you're a good person inside, but are just afraid to show it sometimes."  
  
Helga lifted up one half of her unibrow in amazement. "Really? Then maybe this won't be so bad after all."  
  
We climbed onto the bus and headed over to the water park. We were going to be around twenty minutes early, but I staged it that way to make sure we wouldn't see Arnold until later.  
  
When we arrived at the park, we bought our tickets and just sat at a nearby bench. Since I had nothing better to talk about, I simply told Helga about my experience with Sid earlier.  
  
Helga laughed when I was finished. "Well, what do you know? Even a nutcase like Sid can find a date every now and then, even though I'm surprised that a high-class girl like Amy Black would actually go along with it."  
  
"She was probably desperate," I said, smiling. "Maybe she was on the rebound or something. Besides that, Sid is a good guy, and he deserves a good girl, after what happened in the fourth grade between him and Ruth." Sid had gone all crazy over Ruth McDougal back in the fourth grade, and virtually got nothing out of it. Everyone felt so bad for him afterwards, even if he set himself up for despair.  
  
Arnold pulled up to the water park at that time, so we walked over to greet them. He seemed somewhat surprised, but like always, he kept his cool.  
  
"Hey, Robert," he said to me, turning over to Helga. "Um, hi, Helga."  
  
"Hey, there, Football Head, how's it going?" Helga said to him jokingly. At least she wasn't being too obnoxious to him.  
  
I stood up to execute the next part of my plan. "Oh, Arnold. I realized that I'd needed to do some journal writing before we left, so I brought Helga along to hang out with you. Here, you can have my ticket," I told him, giving him my ticket.  
  
"Um, okay," he said to me awkwardly. "I guess I'll see you later, Robert." I smiled at Helga, and climbed back onto the bus.  
  
The time now was five o'clock. Nobody had returned from their destinations yet, so I just lied down in my room for a while. I guess that meant that Helga and Arnold were surviving each other (either that or they had killed one another).  
  
There wasn't too much going on that afternoon. I really didn't feel too much like going anywhere, so I just hung out in the hotel. I went down to the arcade on the bottom floor for a short while but came back up to my room after a while.  
  
I started to think about how my life had changed over the past two years, but yet ended back up on square one. I went from being in love with Rhonda, to liking Amy, and then going back to Rhonda. Who knew what life would be like down the road? I still had six years left before I ventured off into the real world. I may have a ton of girlfriends when that time comes. I just would have to find out. It didn't really seem like any of that would happen, though, since things seemed so straight between Rhonda and myself.  
  
The groups arrived though about dinnertime, and since we all enjoyed our dining experience the previous night, we found another restaurant to eat together as a group in. Life was an adventure in those days; wandering around, just having the best time possible.  
  
When we arrived back at the hotel I asked Helga how things went with her and Arnold.  
  
She smiled. "Things went really well, Robbie, and although we didn't get much of a romantic relationship started, we did get along a whole let better."  
  
"Well, you know, that's one of the best ways to get together, being friends first."  
  
"I sure hope so," she said, hugging me. "Thanks a lot, Robert." I still couldn't believe she called me by my real name.  
  
A few minutes later Sid ran up to me and basically said the same thing. He told me about how much he really was going to miss Amy and all. Thankfully, he got her email address, something I never remembered to do.  
  
"Did you know that Amy hates you?" Sid asked me as I walked to my room.  
  
"Honestly, I'm not surprised," I told him pleasantly, while entering my room for one last sleep in New Zealand.  
  
Only one chapter to go, so keep reading! 


	9. Away

9  
  
Away  
  
The Sun seemed to rise earlier than usual that morning.  
  
I surprisingly had already woken up. I had neglected packing my bags the evening before, so I was forced to jam whatever I could into my small black suitcase. I t wasn't an easy job, but somehow or another, I finished it up and gazed out my window at the picture the morning sky had painted for me. I had never seen anything more spectacular the entire time we were in Auckland then that very sunrise. Being the fun of sunsets that I am, it was unusual to appreciate something else for a change.  
  
Arnold woke up about half an hour later; he had already packed, so he could have slept in even later. It only was eight o'clock, and we had about another hour before we needed to be in the lobby for breakfast.  
  
For the majority of the morning, things were extremely quiet. We conversed a little, but nothing more than small talk about how we would have some snowball fights back in Hillwood. We got ready to leave at a steady pace; we had no need to hurry or get excited.  
  
"Man, Robert, I don't care how cold it is when we're back home. I'm going to Slausen's and getting myself a shake."  
  
"I can agree with you there," I said humorously. It wasn't a morning for hysterical laughter or dramatic emphasis; it just seemed to be a normal morning on the surface.  
  
In about an hour all six of us were down in the lobby with our bags. As we did every morning of our vacation, we all gathered around for breakfast as a group. Quite frankly, there wasn't much conversation there, either. Everyone at this point was either tired or apprehensive.  
  
After hearing a short speech about how much he enjoyed the vacation (and how far behind he was on his lesson plan), we loaded ourselves out onto the shuttle bus for the airport, where we checked our bags and headed onward to another extensive ride on a 747.  
  
I looked out my window as we were getting ready to take off. Everything seemed so beautiful there in Auckland, but yet there appeared to be something missing. The city gave you the feeling that it was a wonderful place to visit, but not to live in. It didn't feel like home to me. My home was in Hillwood City.  
  
As we took off into the sky I took one last look onto the vast metropolis where we had spent our last five days, a wonderful place, without a doubt. I looked next to me to see a small tear running down Sid's cheek.  
  
"You okay, Sid?" I asked him as the city became nothing but a vague speck below us.  
  
"I guess so," he said, in a very soft voice, before whispering out. "Do you ever think I'll see her again?"  
  
I patted my friend on the back. "You know, buddy, nobody can really say. These things always find a way of working themselves out, so we just have to wait and see what happens. If you never do see her again, though, you'll just have to remember the great times you had with her. That's what I did."  
  
"Yeah, I guess you're right, like usual," Sid replied. "You and Arnold should start some kind of psychiatrist office or something."  
  
I chuckled at the joke for a minute, and then began to think about my own life in retrospect. I didn't really know what I was doing, and yet I was giving advice to other people and trying to start romances between him. Yet then again, do any of us know what we're really doing in this place called life?  
  
You couldn't really say too much about the rest of the afternoon on the plane. We received an extremely lucky flight, since we were making no stops along the way. Nothing out of the ordinary happened; Helga sang along to her punk music on her headphones, and Sid went back and forth to the restroom. Somewhere between his restroom trips, I heard him mention, " I am never flying on an airplane again."  
  
I pulled out a notebook from my carry-on. I brought it along with me on the vacation to record memories and things of that matter. However, I never really got around to writing anything down in it. Now seemed to be a good a time as any, so I jotted down some random thoughts about Auckland, along with some poem that came to my head while I was there. Other than that sonnet in the fourth grade, I really didn't write all too many poems, but the whole vacation experience brought this one two mind.  
  
Take me away now  
  
To the depths of the ocean  
  
So I can have the emotion  
  
Of tranquility, and water encircling me  
  
  
  
Just take me away now  
  
To the sunrise and the sunset's fall  
  
To be close to you and near it all  
  
Of beauty's awe  
  
  
  
This world can be difficult, life can be rough  
  
In your investigation for enough  
  
And walking down the tireless road  
  
To find the one you love  
  
Just take me away to stay wrapped in your arms  
  
  
  
Take me away now  
  
To the icy breezing summit  
  
Where I will never shun it  
  
What's near, so your soul will appear  
  
  
  
Just take me away now  
  
From the castles to the palace  
  
Be rid my heart of malice  
  
Stay helpless  
  
  
  
The world will stay difficult, life will be rough  
  
In that investigation for enough  
  
And keeping on that tireless road  
  
To have the one you love  
  
Just take me away to have you in my heart  
  
  
  
Take me away now  
  
To hear of all endeavors  
  
And be with you forever  
  
Just take me away someday  
  
  
  
That was about all I could remember, but I seemed to like it okay. I closed my spiral, and checked back at my watch. "Nine-thirty," I mumbled to myself "Almost time to get some sleep."  
  
Helga looked over at me from next to Sid. "You okay, Robbie? You've been even quieter than usual today."  
  
"Yeah, I guess so, Helga. I'm just a little nervous about getting back."  
  
"Oh," Helga scoffed. "You're nervous about Princess Rhonda Lloyd dumping you again on the spot, aren't you?"  
  
"In all honesty, yes."  
  
"You really shouldn't worry about it so much. You know Rhonda; she likes to change her mind a lot. Even if she does dump you, try to move on with you life a little. It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world."  
  
"Yeah, you're right," I replied. "I mean, it would be awful nice though if things actually worked out right for once."  
  
"Hey, try not to worry about it, Robbie. I've had to work for Arnoldo over there my entire life. Just get some sleep; we'll be in Hillwood in the morning."  
  
"Okay," I sighed, laying my head back. "Good night, Helga." I curled up into the best sleeping position I could until after I while, when I finally was taken away.  
  
I woke up uninterrupted around seven o'clock. Luckily, we only had around two hours left on the flight. This play ride seemed to go much smoother than the first one, probably since we had all gotten more adjusted to being on a plane for extended periods of time.  
  
As everyone began to steadily arise from his or her resting places, I began to see America appear again on the horizon. For some reason, seeing our homeland struck some kind of excitement within us, and as we final began to land, we were beaming with excitement.  
  
"Hey, look! It's snowing!" Sid yelled as the plane touched down. I smiled while I watched the white wonder coming down onto the ground. I had missed the snow more than anything else.  
  
Lila didn't seem to be enjoying herself as much, though. For some reason or another, she seemed kind of depressed. She had been left out a little in the trip, but that didn't seem to be her real problem. It really wasn't my place to ask, so I just stepped off the plane with my belongings, with Arnold closely following me.  
  
"So are you going to unpack?" Arnold asked me as we waited for my luggage.  
  
"Probably. I need to go visit Rhonda sometime soon, too. I have no real idea where our relationship is. I may even stop by Slausen's."  
  
"Sounds like a plan," Arnold said to me. It felt so great to be back home. Just about then he noticed an elderly couple waiting beside the baggage claim. "Grandma, grandpa!"  
  
"Hey, there, short man," Arnold's grandpa said to him, giving him a hug. His grandmother followed in the same fashion, but was dressed like Queen Elizabeth for some reason or another.  
  
"It's great to be home, grandpa," I heard him say before coming up to me. "Hey, Robert, thanks so much for taking me with you. It was awesome."  
  
"Hey, anytime, man," I replied, before realizing two familiar faces in the crowd myself. "Mom! Dad!" I couldn't believe that my parents actually took off work for something in their lives. I rushed over quickly to greet them.  
  
"Hey, there, Robert," my dad said to me. "Did you have a good time over in paradise?"  
  
"Yeah, it was great. I saw the beach, a water park, and I even stayed in the best suite in the hotel!"  
  
My parents laughed. "That's great, son. Let's get home so we can unpack." Very soon the rest of the gang found their parents (I suppose Mr. Simmons found himself), and we all departed in the same way in that we had all arrived: Wonderful friends.  
  
Hillwood received even more snow than I predicted it would; the city was literally covered in it. Nearly enough snow was on the ground to build a snowman the size of a skyscraper. It was incredible.  
  
I shortened my story of my vacation enough to explain it to my parents on the ride home. I left out the parts about Amy and Rhonda, but I talked about the beach, the hotel, and other matters of the trip. More unexpected than anything, my parents actually listened to me. It almost seemed that they missed me being home, even though they rarely even communicated with me.  
  
Thankfully, I was able to convince them to let me go for a walk before unpacking. For the first time in a week, I bundled up in about twenty layers of clothing and walked out into the frigid cold. Above all priorities, I needed to visit Rhonda.  
  
The walk over there reminded me of fourth grade: no real troubles or anything. Watching all the kids build snowmen and pelt one another with snowballs. Life was so carefree then; life was so perfect. Part of me wished I could just go back two years in time and live that experience again. I couldn't though, so I continued on my journey.  
  
In about ten minutes I reached Rhonda's front door and knocked at it.  
  
"Yes?" Rhonda asked, swinging the front door open. "Oh, hi, Robert. I didn't recognize you at first. I could see that; I looked like a Pillsbury doughboy with glasses. "You're just the man I wanted to see," she said beckoning me to come inside. This was the first time I had ever been in Rhonda's house, and I have to say it was quite elegant. Not a whole lot compared to Black Manor, but wonderful in its own manner. I quickly took off my coat and hat as I had a seat on her couch.  
  
She started her conversation immediately. "You see, Robert, I've been thinking about this relationship thing, and I've decided to-"  
  
"You're going to reject me, aren't you?"  
  
"Not exactly," Rhonda said to me. "I know this sounds like what Lila said to Arnold a couple of years ago, but it's different. I really do love you, Robert, but I just can't go out with you right now."  
  
I sighed and in almost monotone asked, "Why not?"  
  
"Well, at school, you know, I'm simply the coolest, most popular person in the school, and you're, well," Rhonda said with a pause. "You're not. I would kind of hurt my reputation, you know?" I didn't say a word. "Look, I'm sorry. Let's just say we're putting this on hold for a while, okay?"  
  
I got up from my seat. "Whatever you say, Rhonda," was all I muttered before snagging my coat and walking out the door. Suddenly it felt much colder outside.  
  
I couldn't think of anywhere else to go, so I went to Slausen's. They were surprisingly open all year, and had pretty decent hot chocolate. I didn't really feel like talking to anyone, so it was the best decision. I had been away, and there and back again, but it didn't seem to matter anymore. Sure, Rhonda didn't exactly dump me, but it sure seemed like it. I now was back to square one: alone.  
  
Once inside the ice cream parlor, I drank my hot chocolate slowly. I wasn't attempting to hurry or anything; I just wanted to think. I actually stayed in there for almost an hour, when I finally finished up and walked outside to see Arnold standing in front of the parlor.  
  
"Hey, Robert," he said to me, patting me on the back "Did you get to talk to Rhonda again?"  
  
I looked down at the snow-covered ground. "Yeah, she dumped me again. I kind of expected it, but it still hurts."  
  
"Well, I'm really sorry to hear that," he said meaningfully. "The reason I stopped by, though, was to see if you wanted to come to the snowball fight me and Gerald are going to have in a minute or two. I've been looking for you for half an hour."  
  
"I don't really feel like snowball fights right now, Arnold," I said to him in a demure manner.  
  
The football-headed boy smiled at me. "Come on, having a little bit of fun wouldn't hurt you. Just come hang with us."  
  
I thought about it for a second. Maybe I had been looking at this the wrong way this entire time. As long as I have people who care about me, I'll never be alone. Without people like Arnold, I would have never been able to do what I did in Auckland in the first place. After I while of pondering, I grinned at him. "Let's roll," I said menacingly, running out into the street, ready to see what this grateful life had in store for me next.  
  
The End  
  
  
  
Note: Thank you everyone that has read this. I will have an author's not up in a day or two. 


	10. Author's Note

Author's Note  
  
Man, the time seems to fly by. Three Robert stories down, and one to go. I really have loved writing these, and more than anything, I have enjoyed receiving all of the wonderful feedback I have been getting from them. Miss Matched, Lizzie, MDT, Jennavette and everyone else: I love you guys for reading.  
  
This was the only story in the series that I didn't directly base off real experiences, so it was a bit different in writing. For the longest time I dreamed of going to Australia, New Zealand, or somewhere like that. So it actually was nice to see Robert go there.  
  
I don't really have too much to say this time, other than talk a little bit about the future. As I mentioned earlier, there is one more part to the Robert series, and it will be a short way down the road. It is tentatively titled Said and Done, and it basically will be about Robert trials and tribulations in high school. Yeah, I skipped a couple of years, but it's best to get some separation of time in there. It will probably be a bit longer, and most likely the most serious of the four stories, but if you like my writing, you should enjoy it when I start it in a month or so.  
  
Until then, I have got another cheesy little fic in mind: a story about Sid. Sid doesn't get very much attention on fanfiction, so I thought it would be nice to star him in his own story. It will be called Boy Howdy: The Testament of Sid, and I will start it soon. You might have seen some hints of it back in chapter 8, when I talk briefly on its plot. Be sure to watch out for it soon.  
  
To end this, I thought I would answer to some things:  
  
-Amy may or may not appear again. I have a good use for her later on, but she won't have any affect on Robert from here on out.  
  
-I know I pulled a bunch of random names for characters in this story. More than anything, I was trying to please my friends, who have been there for me through thick and thin. I named some people after them (Tyler for instance).  
  
-There was a good bit of foreshadowing in "Robert's Search", so try to see if you can pull some of it out. My favorite one involves Lila (she was awful quiet for a reason).  
  
Once again, I greatly appreciate all my fans, and until we meet again, watch the sunset sometime. It'll do you good. 


End file.
